FMA: With A Twist
by RomitriIsMyMaximumMortalFlaw
Summary: The Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric, is a legend. He's seen hell, he's experienced extreme pain, and he's paid the ultimate price. But what if the Elric family was different: What if Alphonse were a girl? Read to find out what would have been different if Al were a girl. And what if 'Al' hadn't lost her whole body that night in their home? Rated T for language. Give it a chance?
1. Chapter 1

**This story will follow the Manga and original story line. I'm trying to s stay away from referencing the anime, because it veers so far from the way the writer intended it. **

**Now, before you read the story, you have to know that I am not a religious person; I'm not Atheist, but I'm not a believer, either. I'm a agonist, really; just like Edward! Haha. Anyway, you can imagine that writing this part about Lior was hard for me, because I can never take religious seriously. It's great if you have different beliefs, but be warned that I'm going to make fun of religion because the Elric's don't believe in that sort of thing. **

**Anyway, here we go!**

**. . .**

"_Children of God who dwell on the earth, there is no salvation without prayer and faith. The Sun God Leto will illuminate that path. Behold! The Lord hath descended from his Heavenly thrown to save thee from all thy sins. For I am thy Father…I am the emissary of the Sun God…"_

The young lady sitting at a food stop with her brother looks from the small device on the counter to her right, and then to her sibling on her left. "A religious broadcast on the radio?" she questioned.

The brother took a bite for his food, swallowing. "'Emissary of the Sun God'? What the heck is that?"

After pouring some more juice for the older brother, the bar tender looks at the pair with a curious gaze. "Actually, I was going to say the same thing about you two… Are you guys street performers or something?"

The young, blond-haired boy spewed his freshly poured drink out at the older gentleman, who barley dodged the oncoming liquid. Looking at the two new-comers, they did dress rather strangely. The boy wore black clothes with a red coat and boots. He even wore a pair of white gloves. That alone was pretty unusual to wear in the hot desert. The girl was dressed similarly. She wore a dark red cloak; he hood covered most of her face, though blonde hair could be seen occasionally. He wasn't sure what she wore under the cloak because it covered her entire body. That's something the people of Lior don't see every day.

The boy slammed his cup down in annoyance. "Hey, Wait a minute, pops! What about us makes you think that we're street performers?"

The old man looked at the kid like he was crazy. "Well, I mean, what else could you be?"

The blonde settled back in his seat with a sigh, sticking a toothpick in his mouth.

"I've never seen your faces around here before," continued the older man. "On a trip?"

The young man flicked the toothpick between his teeth. "Uh-huh. We're trying to track something down."

"_Our Lord in Heaven…"_

He glanced over at the radio. "By the way, what's with this broadcast?"

The older man looked surprised, stopping suddenly in his cleaning a glass cup. "You're never heard of Father Cornello?"

The young woman raised a brow in question, whilst her brother voiced her question aloud: "Who?"

"Father Cornello, the Sun God Leto's emissary!" The pair just starred at the old man, though one could barely see the girl's face from behind her heavy cloak. "He's the founder of the Church of Leto. He can perform miracles!"

Other people joined in on the conversation:

"He's a wonderful man who came to this town a years ago and showed us wall the way of God."

"Yeah, he's amazing!"

"They're real miracles; it's a work of God!"

The older gentleman noticed the boy's bored expression. He grew annoyed. "You're not even listening, are you kid?"

He spit out the toothpick, standing up. "Nope. I'm agnostic." He looked over at his sister. "Thanks for the food, pops. We're leaving now."

The young woman stood up after her brother and turned to leave with him, but as she did, she mistakenly knocked the radio from where it sat near-by. The device fell to the ground and broke into several pieces.

"Ahhh!" The old me explained.

The girl looked down at the broken radio, with only slight panic in her eyes. "Oops."

"You broke my radio and all you have to say for yourself is 'oops'?" he asked now more annoyed than ever.

The girl shrugged.

Her brother waved the old man off. "Our bad. Don't worry, we'll fix it right away."

Without the need of direction, the young girl bent down and began collecting the pieces of the radio into one spot.

The man scratched his head, looking from his busted radio to the kids before him. "You think you can fix that thing now? It's in a hundred pieces."

The young man leaned back against the counter and watched as his sister stood over the broken device. "Just sit back and watch, alright?"

The old man watched with curiosity as the young woman stood there silently for a moment. When she brought her arms out suddenly her cloak waved behind her with a whoosh when she opened her arms out wide in a 'T'. And just as quickly, she brought her hands together with an audible clap. Electricity flowed through the air for a moment, and a second later she held her hands in mid-air over the broken radio. After the sound of a loud boom and the smoke cleared, the old man's eyes widened bigger than his dinner plates.

"Wha…?"

Almost as soon as it appeared whole again, the radio began to once again broadcast the Father's voice:_ "__Listen to God__'__s teachings__…"_

Casually, the young man pointed at the now completely restored radio. "How's that?" he asked with a slight hint of boasting in his voice.

"That…That's amazing!" the old man sputtered, leaning over the counter to get a better look at his radio. "Can you work miracles?!"

The boy's expression dropped. "Miracles?"

"We're alchemists," the girl said, her cloak returning to it's original state around her body.

Her brother once again crossed his arms over his chest. "We're the Elric's. A lot of people have heard of us."

"Elric, eh… You must be the Elric brothers; Ed and Al Elric!"

"Yeah, I've heard of you guys!"

"They say the eldest is a state alchemist they call the Fullmetal Alchemist!"

Ed gave a nervous chuckle when a glare illuminated his sister's face. "Eh…Well, close; we're not 'brothers' because Al is a girl. It's just the Elric's. I'm Edward Elric and this is my sister, Alanna Elric."

Like moths to a flame, the villagers swarmed around the tallest of the two siblings: Alanna.

"You must me the Fullmetal Alchemist!"

"They say you're really strong."

"Wow. Cool!"

"Can I have your autograph?"

Alanna looked around at the crowd of people around her, feeling uncomfortable. "Uh…no. You've got it wrong. It's not me. It's him." She point toward her brother, who was fuming from the misconception of his identity.

"What? That little guy…?"

With that being the last straw, Edward lost his cool and started chasing the villagers. "I'M NOT LITTLE! DON'T CALL ME MIDGET! OR SHORT! OR SHRIMP!"

Before anything could get too bad, Alanna caught her brother by the collar of his coat and held him in place, sparing the villagers. This was a part of Alanna's life, the fact that she was a few inches taller than her younger brother. Yes, it made good teasing material, but she was always finishing the fights that he started because of his hot temper.

Only when he calmed did Alanna release him. She sighed, lifting her head a little, the sun hitting her face. They could see now that she had brown eyes, and a little more of her blonde hair appeared from behind the cloak.

"I'm Alanna Elric, the younger sibling."

Edward, still annoyed, stepped in front of his sister. "I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist, _Edward Elric_."

The villagers put their hands up as if to ward off the oldest sibling. "S-Sorry about that…"

Once everyone was calm, things started to get interesting, at least for Alanna. They met a girl named Rose, who was also a worshiper of this Leto God. She mentioned something about "the usual" and an "offering". That didn't settle well with Alanna, and when she voiced her opinion to Edward, he agreed.

One villager started talking about raising the dead. That caught Edward's attention. "I don't like the sound of that…"

And neither did Alanna.

Later on when they found themselves in the Church of Leto, Rose appeared there as well. Edward wanted to get down to the bottom of this mysterious Father Cornello. Ed and Rose kind of got off on the wrong foot, in Al's opinion. She's not sensitive to people's feelings—much like Ed, really—but even she thought going through what elements the human body was made of was a little extreme. But one way or another, he was going to show Rose that you just can't bring the dead back to life. The Elric's are living proof of that.

Rose didn't take to that kindly to being told that dead was dead. Due to the kindness he had shown her, she felt as though it was her duty to defend Father Cornello and took the siblings to where he was preforming one of his miracles. Needless to say they weren't impressed.

"See, Ed? He can perform miracles. Father Cornello is the Sun God's child!'

Ed, with his chin resting in one of his hands, watched the Father closely. He shook his head. "Nah. That's alchemy, no matter how you look at it."

Rose grew annoyed with the older sibling once again.

"But he's somehow ignoring the laws," Alanna pointed out, turning to her brother.

Ed nodded. "Yeah, that's the problem."

When Ed tried to explain the laws to Rose, he butchered it and Rose couldn't keep up let alone comprehend what he was saying.

Rolling her eyes at Ed, Alanna spoke up. "Let me try…" She looked at Rose, her face relaxing slightly, her once disapproving face toward her brother gone. "A substance can only be created from the same type of substance. For example, if something is mostly water, you can only use it to make other things with the attributes of water. In other words, the basics of Alchemy is 'Equivalent Exchange'."

Ed nodded again, confirming Al's teachings. "That means that to obtain, something of equal value must be lost." He looked up at the stage where Father Cornello was preforming his "tricks". "But that guy is breaking the basic laws of Alchemy by creating too much from too little. It doesn't add up…"

Rose, having understood most of that explanation, pointed an accusing finger at Edward. "See?! That proves it! Why don't you too have a little faith in Cornello's miracles already?!"

Not particularly listening to what Rose was saying, a wide smile spread across Ed's face. "I think we've found it."

Quickly, Ed turned to Rose. "Hey! I think I'm starting to like this religion! I'd love to speak to his holiness. Do you think you could take me to him?"

Rose's smile immediately brightened her face. "So, you're finally starting to believe!"

Whatever Rose had done to pull it off Edward didn't care. He was getting to meet with this "child of Leto", and he was going to get some answers. When the three of them—that being Edward, Alanna and Rose—were lead into a large, very empty room to await Cornello, Alanna suddenly got a bad feeling.

"His holiness is very busy, so it's not easy to get an audience with him. You two are very lucky."

"I'll try not to talk for too long," Ed said with a smile.

Behind Ed, it was only Al and Rose that the door they came in saw slammed shut.

The man who's name escaped Edward, smirked, drawing a gun from his coat. "Yes, let's end this quickly."

He quickly turned, point the gun right at Al. He was close enough that the tip of the weapon rested against her cloak. Shocked, the girl froze for a split second too long, eyes darting from the gun pointed at her abdomen to the man holding the weapon.

"Like this!" He fired the gun, the sound it made deafening. The girl's body jerked with the impact of the bullet, and a wave of pain immediately vibrated throughout her body. When she she didn't go down right away, the man kicked her in the chest, sending her up and then straight back down to the ground.

"Al!" Edward called, trying to get to his sister but was stopped. The guards at the door had advanced, their weapons at his neck.

Rose gasped, looking from the girl on the ground to the boy being held back. Then her eyes were on the man who fired the gun. "Brother Cray! What are you doing?!"

Cray didn't look at her. "Rose, these are heathens that were trying to entrap his holiness. They're evil."

"What?!" Her eyes found the floor, hanging her head in dismay. "But his holiness would never let you do this…let you…" She couldn't finish the sentence, not with that look Cray was giving her just then.

"He did allow it!" Cray exclaimed, a wider smirk than before appearing on his lips. He pointed the gun at Edward this time, making Rose nervous. "The words of his holiness are the words of God. This is the will of God!"

His finger rested on the trigger, ready to end Edward Elric's life. He was going to do Father's Cornello's bidding, and reap his rewards. But he never got the chance.

"If that's the case, then it seems as though there's some really bad Gods out there."

Everyone followed the voice to where Alanna stood beside Cray, one of her black-gloved hands resting on the opposing weapon aimed at her brother. The hood of her cloak was thrown back, revealing long blonde hair that disappeared again behind the cloak. There was dirt on her face from hitting the floor, but other than that the only thing her face revealed was anger and disappointment.

Cray's brows knit together in shock and confusion. "What?!"

But before he could get an answer, Alanna's other gloved hand in the form of a fist connected hard with Cray's face. The impact sent him flying backwards, just as he had done to her moments ago. She ripped the gun from his hand as he went. She threw the gun aside, far away from the man on the floor with a missing tooth and a bloody nose.

"Pay-back's a bitch," Alanna said simply, her voice chilling with hatred. She turned toward Ed, just as he escaped both of his captures. The second guard had just fallen unconscious at Edwards feet when Al came up behind him. "Are you alright, brother?" she asked, all notes of anger gone.

Edward glanced at his sister. "Yeah, I'm alright. And you're okay, Al?"

Alanna nodded. "Yeah, he missed anything important."

The girl was shot in the gut, Rose was sure of it—she witnessed it! And yet there was no sign of pain or fear on her face, as if she hadn't felt a thing. Rose pointed at Al with a shaky finger, her own face consumed with shock. "Wh-Wh-Wh-What is this?! Y-You were shot in the abdomen…I saw you!"

Edward shrugged, putting his hands on his hips. "Nothing special…" Though it was a lie and he knew it.

Alanna sigh, her expression coated with that of sympathy. "No, it's exactly what it looks like." And with that, Alanna opened her cloak, revealing her 'wound' from just a few moments ago.

Rose gasped again, her hands flying to her mouth. There was a hole in her cloak and dark clothes, but there was no sigh of an injury. "Th…There's a hole…right where the bullet went in! And there's no blood… How are you still standing?!"

Al touched to place where the bullet went though her false body. "It's called automail, Rose. It's an artificial body part. You might say that this is what happens when you commit the greatest sin; when you try to bring back the dead." There was pain in Alanna's voice, but Rose doubted it was from the whole in her body. Alanna closed her cloak again. "Big brother and I both…" Her voice trailed off.

Rose looked from Al to Ed. "You too…Edward?"

Edward turned away from Rose in an attempt to avoid the topic, scratching her head. "Let's save that story for a different time." He looked down at Cray and the guards unconscious on the floor. "Anyway, I guess your God showed is true colors."

"No! It has to be some kind of mistake!" she exclaimed.

Ed's face dropped to a frown, his annoyance growing again. "Even after all that she still believes in 'his holiness'?" He turned his head back toward Rose, his hands hands stuffed in his pockets. If she wasn't to find out the truth, there was only one way to do it.

"Rose… Do you have the courage to face the truth?"

**. . .**

**I'm going to go ahead and end the chapter here. I know we all know what happens next, but the twist with 'Alanna' should be keeping you on your toes. (:**

**I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! If you want to know what Alanna's abilities are, keep in touch with the next chapter!**

—**Romni**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! **

**Someone's actually reading my story! Haha. I'm kind of surprised. The title wasn't very catchy, and the summary suggests something that's been done before. So, I'm not sure what to make of the reviews I've gotten already. **

**There shouldn't be too many mistakes. I've read over this chapter about 100 times. If you catch something I didn't, PLEASE let me know! Otherwise I don't check over them until after they are up for, like, weeks and I feel embarrassed for posting such a disgrace.**

**Thanks to all of those who viewed and read the first chapter. You're reward:**

**Here's the next one!**

**. . .**

"So, this is Cornello's room? The one Rose told us about?" Al asked, looking left and right, noticing no one else was around.

Ed stepped forward. "Let's see…" But just as he reached for the door handle, it creaked open by itself, wide enough for both to enter.

"Hmph." Ed started forward into the room, hi sister close behind. "I guess that means 'Come on in', huh Al?"

Alanna said nothing and just followed. The room was dark, and a lot bigger than what they were expecting. Their steps echoed as they approached a large staircase, one that started on both the left and right side and met in the middle. The ceiling was high, and the lights did little to brighten the room. It was pretty dark.

Suddenly, the door creaked shut behind them, locking.

This time Ed did notice the door. And he wasn't too happy about being trapped once again.

"Welcome to the church of the great Leto." Ed and Al looked up, and the the top of the first flight of stairs stood Father Cornello himself. "Did you come to here me preach?"

Edward smiled. "Yeah, sure. Go ahead and teach us, like about how you use your lame alchemy to deceive your followers."

The old man only smiled back, though there was something hidden behind it. "Well, I'm not sure what you mean. Please don't confuse my miracles with Alchemy. If you saw for yourself you'd believe…"

"Yeah, I've seen it all right. And what I couldn't understand was how you're able to do transmutation that goes against the laws."

Father Cornello point to his head with his ring finger, as if to prove a point. "That's why I'm telling you it's _not_ Alchemy…"

"And then it came to me," Edward started again, as if the Father hadn't said anything at all. "The Philosopher's Stone. That's how you do it, right?"

Cornello froze for a few moments, though his smile never faltered.

Ed smirked. "And maybe—just maybe—it's that ring of yours?"

There was another pause from Cornello, and then he laughed. "Correct!" He lowered his hand so that it was perpendicular to the ground at his feet so Ed could fully see the ring. "The Philosopher's Stone, the legendary catalyst, the amplifier of all Alchemical processes. With this, I can conjure at the minimum price, for the maximum result."

"Oh, how long I've searched for that…" Ed became gleeful, barely listening to the old man talk as his eyes never left the ring.

Alanna stood idly by, only watching as the two conversed.

"Hmph! What that jealous look in your eyes? What do you want the stone for? Money? Honor?"

"What about you?" Ed asked, hands on his hips. "What do you get out of founding this phony religion? If it's money you want you can make as much as you want with the stone."

"It's not about the money. Well, I do want money, but I can get that with almost no effort…in the form of donations from my flock." He looked down at Edward and Alanna, more than happy to brag. "What I really need are followers who will happily give their lives for me. Think about it! An invincible army of fanatics with no fear of death! Soon, I will have more than enough people; just you watch! Within a few years time this entire nation will be mine!"

The Father began to laugh, though the siblings didn't join him. Ed, having had enough of the old man's rambling, raised his hand to stop him.

"You know, to be completely honest, I could care less." The young man's expression became serious. "So, let me be blunt: Give me the Philosopher's Stone! If you do that, I'll stay quiet about the scam you've been pulling on everyone."

"Do not try to bargain with me! My followers would never believe the words of an outsider like you! Those idiots will believe anything I tell them—I've completely fooled them!" His laughter was something to be feared. It had heartless meaning behind it, and it struck hard at the siblings.

Edward let the man relish in his 'victory' for a few moments before interrupting him again. "Wow… You are smart," he said, clapping his hands in a celebratory matter. "Thanks for telling me how to do it."

"You're right," Alanna said, speaking up for the first time since entering the room. "The people would never believe anything we say, we've given them no reason to trust us. But…" She smirked and quickly pulled her cloak open, reviling the one person who shouldn't have heard the Father's speech. "What about _her_ words?"

Rose, shaken and wide-eyed, clung to Alanna's right side, having been balancing on one of the girl's boots so's not to have been seen. She stood there awkwardly for a moment, barely believing what she had just heard.

"R-Rose?! What is the meaning of this?!"

Rose pushed away from Alanna, nearly knocking her over as she approached Cornello. "Father! Is everything you said true?! Were you fooling us this whole time? Your miracles aren't real? You can't bring my darling back again?!"

Cornello grew nervous, still startled by Rose being there. "It's true that I'm not God's emissary…" His smirk returned, a plan forming in his head. "But with this stone, it may be possible. I can transmute living beings, something which many Alchemists have tried and failed. Rose, I will resurrect him!"

Alanna grew annoyed with the Father's preachings. "Do not listen to him, Rose. He's lying to you."

"Am I? You yourself don't know the full extent of the stone."

"Rose, don't do this."

"Be a good girl, Rose. Come."

"If you go with him you can never come back."

"Think about your beloved—"

"Rose!"

"—And come!"

There was a long, silent moment where no one said or did anything. The Elric's waited, watching to see what Rose would do next. The Father held his hand out, beckoning the girl toward him.

Then, Rose walked. She walked toward the Father the the thrown of the Sun God. She looked back at the pair. "I'm sorry you two… This is the only choice I can make."

"There is always a better choice, Rose." Alanna closed her cloak, as if proving Edward's point that she couldn't turn back now.

"You truly are a good girl…" Cornello reached behind him and pulled a lever. "And now we must eradicate the these heathens who threaten the future of our faith."

From the darkness somewhere, a gate opened, letting in something that had a long, scaly tail and growled. And when it emerged from the darkness, it was like nothing Ed or Al had ever seen. The beast looked like a combination of every animal off the top of someone's head. And it looked hungry.

"The Philosopher's Stone is truly incredible," stated the Father. "It can even create new life…like this."

_This_ being the creature that stalked around like it owned the place. It's teeth were pointy and claws looked sharp. It's tail whipped around, waiting to crush something with it's weight.

Ed and Al stayed right where they were, not daring to move. They've faced scarier things, but that thing getting it's teeth on them wasn't on their list of top 5 things to get done that day.

"Have you ever seen a Chimera?"

Edward glanced from the Chimera to Cornello. "Can't say I've seen one, but we've heard of them. And it looks like this one might be tough to play with empty handed." He clapped his hands together. "So…"

He placed his hands on the ground and after a few moments there was a flow of electricity in the air and the loud boom echoed through the large room. Slowly, as Edward raised his right hand from the ground, a spear formed from the elements in the floor.

The fake Father looked upon Edward in dread. "You made a weapon from the floor without a transmutation circle?! So you deserve the title of state Alchemist after all. But that won't be enough!"

Without much command, the Chimera attacked Edward at full speed. Cornello had one thing right: Edward's spear wasn't enough. The Chimera slashed right through it with his claws, also catching Edward's left leg in the process.

"Oh no…" Edward groaned, clutching at his leg.

"Edward!" Rose took a step toward him and then stopped, her eye on the circling Chimera.

"Brother!" Alanna called, not hesitating into the fight. She put herself between her brother and the Chimera, bravely taking a defensive pose.

Cornello's laugh could be heard through the room. "How do you like the taste of claws that can cut through iron?"

Suddenly, the Chimera cried out, it's once sharp claws now broken.

Cornello frowned deeply. "What?!"

Edward smirked. "Psych!" Together, Alanna and Edward both kicked the Chimera and sent it flying. It tumbled onto it's back but was again on it's feet quickly, looking as pissed as ever.

"Sorry," Edward said, though he wasn't the least bit sorry at all. "These are custom made. I guess his claws just aren't strong enough to cut through steel."

The way the siblings stood there, brave enough to face anything, made Rose wonder just what kind of journey these two were on. What horrors had they faced to make them so brave, fearless? What drove them to go so far?

Cornello was becoming frantic now. If he lost to these brats, he would never have his dream. "Wh-What is it? If you can't cut him with your claws then bite him to death!" he ordered.

Alanna went in for an attack. When the beast swung with it's claws on the other paw it swiped downward, catching the girl by her left arm and leg. Her cloak tore easily, turning it into ribbons. Before Alanna could even think about doing anything else, she was sent in another direction with a flick of it's massive tail.

"Argh!" she cried as she hit the ground and rolled head over heels.

"Al!" Rose called, watching helplessly as a cloud of dust formed around the girl as she tumbled over the ground.

Without hesitation, the Chimera went for Edward next. It leapt through the air and chomped down on Edward's arm that he put up as a defense. For a minute, nothing happened. It was as if they were all frozen in place. Rose closed her eyes tight, afraid to see the horror of Ed's blood everywhere. But that wasn't the case. The Chimera was actually being held back by only Edward's arm alone!

"What's the matter, kitty?" Edward asked, though not really expecting an answer. "Does it taste funny?" He snapped his foot up and kicked the Chimera as hard as he could, hoping that this time he wasn't getting up. As a result, Edward's red coat was torn badly, but there was no blood on the fabric.

"Look at us, Rose," Edward commanded, standing at his full height. The frightened girl opened her eyes.

Alanna stood up again, pieces of fabric floated to the ground as she did. Hastily, she threw off what was left of her cloak, exposing her own torn clothes underneath. "This is what happens when you use Alchemy on humans…" she said aloud, pulling away her tattered pant leg and sleeve to her black shirt.

Edward pulled the ripped fabric of his shirt sleeve and coat away. "This is what happens when you trespass on God's domain!"

The Father gasped, looking from Alanna to Edward. "Automail… Full steel prosthetics." A sneer slithered on his face. "So this is why…you're called the _Fullmetal Alchemist_!"

Edward's coat lay on the ground at his feet, fractions of his automail leg gleaming in the dim light; his whole right automail arm was exposed. His sister was of a similar condition. Her left leg and arm were made of the same automail! Her cloak was like a puddle of red at her feet, with small ripples of black. Her blonde hair—much longer than that of her brother's—hung low on her back and over her shoulders.

"I see," Cornello said in a steady voice, though it gradually grew louder. "Now I understand who you are… It was always a mystery to me why a brat like you could receive a fearsome alias like 'fullmetal'. Look at them, Rose!"

It was a command from the man she worshipped, but it wasn't as though she could look away. The automail on both Edward and Alanna was eye-catching at the very least. She had heard that prosthetics such as those could be painful, and some barely made it through the surgery. But looking at the two of them… How could someone as young as them survive such pain and still have the courage to go on?

"Those two dared to do the one thing forbidden to Alchemists; the unspeakable crime of _human transmutation_! They've committed the worst possible sin!"

Just then, Rose recalled something Edward had said in the Church earlier that day, of a famous man who built wings out of wax: _"__He made wings out of wax so he could fly. But when he got too close to the sun__…__to God__…__the wax melted and he crashed to the ground__…"_

Rose's eyes widened involuntarily as realization struck her. _That__'__s what he was talking about. He was referring to themselves, how they tried to do something that was forbidden, and then wound up with these results__…_

Rose clutched at her heart.

Al, leaving her torn cloak behind, joined her brother. "Even after the horrible injury of losing his left leg, my brother sacrificed his right arm in order to bring back as much of me as he could. And even then it wasn't enough…"

Ed gave a humorless laugh. "The two of us tried to resurrect one person and this is what happened… This is what it takes to raise the dead, Rose." He looked up at her, a fierce look in his eyes. She flinched away, though she couldn't escape his words. "Are you ready to make that sacrifice?!"

Cornello, still up high and out of their immediate reach, laughed aloud. "So, that is what you want the stone for, to try once again to bring your Mommy back," he said in a mocking tone.

Alanna's body tensed automatically. How dare he make fun of their mother like that! "Shut up!"

Rose was taken aback by the girl's outburst. That was the loudest she's heard her speak.

"You're just a third-rate hack who can't do anything without the stone! So hand it over before this gets messy." Her tone was threatening, but there was also a promise meshed into her words. She would prefer less conflict, but she _will _get that stone.

Ed held up his hand to ward his sister off. She had a hot temper like him sometimes, he knew. But she was only ever vocal like that when she meant business.

The said 'hack' chuckled. "You really want the stone that badly, do you? If you used the stone, then you might be able to transmute a human for real, huh?"

"Don't get the wrong idea, _baldy_!" Edward called, smirking at the Father's annoyance to the name he was graced with. "The reason we want the stone is to get our original bodies back, and we still don't know if it'll be able to do _that_."

Calmly this time, Al said, "Father, I'll ask you again. Give us the stone before you get hurt."

The old man smiled wickedly. "You fools are the ones who came too close to God and fell to Earth." Using his ring, the Father transmuted his cane into a large gun that looked as though it could fire many bullets. "If that's the case, then this time I'll make sure to send you to God _permanently_!"

He fired the gun at the siblings, giving them no time to react and sending off more rounds than could be counted. There was a large cloud of smoke from the bullets hitting the ground, but once it cleaned, the Father was not pleased with what he saw.

A wall made from the floor's material stood tall where the kids were standing. It shielded them from the assault of the bullets.

"Sorry," Edward said from behind the massive wall. "God doesn't like me very much. Even if I went, he'd probably cast me away."

The Father tsk-ed, now very much annoyed. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the other Alchemist grabbing Rose by the hand and leading her away. "Why you…!" Outraged, he fired again at the young Alchemist, not caring that Rose was within range. Frightened, Rose screamed, using her other arm to cover her head needlessly.

But Al was ready. She clapped her hands and transmuted her left arm into a shield, keeping both girls safe from harm until they reached the wall Ed had created. Once together, Ed gestured to the door.

"Al, let's get out of here!"

Al nodded and they all made a break for it.

"Fools! That door is rigged! Only I can open it up from here."

But they weren't heading for the door.

"Is that so? If there's no door…" Edward clapped his hands and the put them agains the wall. "Then I'll make one!"

Seconds later, a door appeared where there hadn't been one a moment ago. The Alchemist pushed the door open and escaped the Father's clutches. Without waiting to see what happened, they ran down the hall with Rose in tow. Shouts and orders from the Father could be heard. He told his henchmen to "Go after them!" and that they were "Pagans who want to destroy our religion". Which, unknown to the people who served him, was a lie.

Ed and Al didn't let anyone stop them as they went, taking out one guard after the other, leaving them behind in their wake. Rose could barely keep up with what was happening. First, the Father's true plans for the village she lived in. After that, Ed and Al's bodies… And now she was running for her life. She didn't know what to believe anymore.

Less and less guards appeared to them, and their journey down the hall was becoming quieter. When they passed a room with speakers and a microphone, Ed stopped running, nearly making Al and a very tired Rose run straight into him.

"Huh? What's this?"

Rose peered into the room. "The broadcasting room. This is where Father Cornello delivers his sermons over the radio."

Edward thought for a moment, this remaining gloved hand on his chin. "Oh really…"

Al watched her brother and gave a heavy sigh. She immediately had a bad feeling about what her brother was plotting.

**. . .**

**Going to have to end it here! I hadn't realized how much I had written until I reviewed the pages, and then BAM! There's 7 full pages there, haha. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the story so far. Has anyone noticed the slight changes I've made to fit in Alanna's character?**

**Let me know what you think, please! Criticism (the nice kind) is greatly appreciated. (:**

—**Romni**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's the next chapter! Sorry that this one will be a little more boring. I'm pretty much skipping parts where the original story and my story are very similar. That way I'm not completely retelling the entire story word for word. That would take **_**way**_** too long, lol. **

**Anyway, this chapter is long than the first one, so I hope that makes up for how boring this chapter may or may not be. Try not to skip the parts without dialogue. You might miss something important or something that's different from the original.**

**Thanks!**

**. . .**

"Brother, let me just say now that I think this is a bad idea."

"What? What do you mean, Al?"

"Though it may be effective, it's a bad idea. In fact, 90% of your ideas lately have been bad."

Ed waved her off. "Now way; this will work. You worry too much!"

Alanna sighed. "Actually, I think I worry enough for the both of us…"

"Huh? What was that?"

"Oh, nothing. But I guess there's no talking you out of it…"

Ed laughed, clapping his sister on the back cheeringly. "You're the best!" And then ran off down the hall, leaving Alanna and Rose to do his bidding.

The two girls—though Rose was still very much against this plan—helped Edward set up his 'great idea'. Rose followed Al around robotically, carrying the smaller, lighter things, while the slightly shorter girl carried the bigger, heavier things. However, Rose had something weighing heavily on her. She couldn't get it off her mind, and she had to ask them.

The trips back and forth a were very tedious to Alanna, but she knew they were necessary. The sooner they go this over with, the better. As the final preparations were being set up, Rose and Al were on the roof. Rose wasn't hovering, really, but the silence was noticed. There was something on the girl's mind, Al knew; she was just waiting for the dark haired girl to speak up.

Finally gaining the courage, Rose took a big breath. "Hey, Al?"

The blonde looked up, though her hair still hid her face considerably well; almost like her long since ruined cloak.

"About what you were saying earlier…" Rose took another deep breath, for some reason or another feeling embarrassed to ask. "I can't believe you have to do all that to preform Alchemy."

Al continued her work. "I told you, the foundation of Alchemy is the 'Equivalent Exchange: To obtain, something of equal value must be lost'." A small smile touched her lips only for a second before it was gone again. "Some people call my brother and I geniuses for what we can do. But the reason we are so good at what we do is because we've both paid the price…and worked so hard."

A sad yet hopeful smile came to Rose's face. "But because you sacrificed so much you _must_ have been able to bring back you bother…"

Alanna stopped working abruptly, her head hung over her unfinished work, long blonde waves shielding her face. There was a long silence, and Rose was beginning to regret bring up the topic at all.

Finally, Alanna answered, but the sheer sadness and overwhelming dread in her voice made Rose's heart skip a beat. "The thing we brought back wasn't even human anymore…"

Slowly, Al continued working, horrid images of that night flashing in her head. "There was no flaw in our theory; the set up was perfect; the Alchemy was preformed—everything was done correctly, right down to the last detail. We didn't know what had gone wrong. None-the-less, we've given up on transmuting humans. We do, however, still want our original bodies back. But, like I said before, the risks are high, so we might end up even worse or lose our lives."

Finally the finishing touches were done with Ed's plan, and Alanna stood from her sitting position on the floor. As she stood, the wind caught their hair, sending it cascading to the side. Alanna's tear-streaked face could be seen clearly now. Her light brown eyes were shiny with tears that hadn't fallen yet. Although, her face was hard as stone, filled with determination and, at the same time, hatred.

"Rose…that is why you can't choose this path. Don't make the same mistakes we did in thinking that the giving and taking of life is something we can control—it's not! If you'd seen the horrors we have, you would want nothing to do with Alchemy. But…we have to keep going in order to take back what is rightfully ours and undo the wrongs we've committed."

The blond haired girl struggled to pick up the heavy device and balance it on the railing at the edge of the roof, facing the city. Her back was to Rose, but she decided she needed to say one last thing.

"Rose, please don't go through with this, because no matter how you look at it—whether through the science of Alchemy or having faith in this God of ours—you're going to wind up hurt and broken. I'm sorry, Rose, but someone has to tell you: _you're fiancé is never coming back_."

Just as Al and Rose tired up the loose ends of Ed's plan, it kicked into action when Cornello rounded to corner to the broadcasting room.

Ed actually got him to confess everything again, this time while speaking into a microphone that was on the floor. Now, the microphone wouldn't have done much unless the equipment was switched on. And it was…with the bell Rose and Al stole from the church. Al had managed to turn the bell into a giant speaker so that everything the Father was saying would be heard by the whole town, whether they had their radio on or not.

Like Al had told her brother, it was a good idea, but it was still a bad one; mainly because she knew that she would wind up doing all the work. Her brother had a way of weaseling his way out of hard manual labor.

The Father was outraged (of course) and tried to transmute his cane into the gun once again, but it wound up rebounding and fused his arm with the supposed gun. Ed, in realizing that the stone was a fake, nearly killed the old man. But Ed wasn't that kind of person, so he just scared the crap out of him instead by turning the building into their supposed 'Sun God'.

Rose, despite everything that she'd see and heard, still refused to believe any of it. She slid her her knees, tears in her eyes, asking them what she was supped to believe in now. She was lost without someone to guide her, and she didn't know what to do now that she'd lost the one thing she had faith in: seeing her beloved again.

The only answer the siblings could offer before leaving Lior was that she figure that out on her own.

"Stand up and walk," Ed had said as he moved passed her, on their way out of the city. "Keep moving forward. At least you have two strong legs to take you there."

When Al walked by Rose, she stopped right next to her and placed her left automail hand on Rose's head gently. "Remember the sacrifices you've made today, Rose; remember the ones you've made in the past. And, of course, think about the ones you might have to make in the future. Because no matter where you go they'll follow you, but they will also help you on the path forward. Good-bye, Rose."

And with that, Alanna left the girl there, following her brother out of the city.

**. . .**

The next city the Elric's would travel to was Youswell. It was an old and mostly abandoned mining town. The people there were poor and trying to pay off the outrageous taxes set by Lieutenant Yoki, who was using the people to make a profit for himself.

When the siblings tried to stay at the only inn in town for the night, they were cast out when the people discovered they were state Alchemists. The people of Youswell told them that they couldn't trust any Alchemists of the state because of what Yoki does with the money he collects through the taxes.

Ed and Al didn't like how members of the military were treating these people. But they weren't sure what to do about it. Then, Yoki himself came to the inn, demanding more payment from the people. When the kid that showed them the way to inn spoke up and mouthed off, Yoki tried to have him sliced up as an example for talking against him. But Al wouldn't have it. She rushed over just in time to grab the kid and duck out of the way. Once out of harm's way, Edward stepped in and introduced himself, flashing his state Alchemist pocket watch.

Yoki gleefully invited the younger man of higher rank to his home, and with hopes of getting food out of this guy, Ed followed him. He tried to find out as much as he could about Yoki and his connection to the town, but there still wasn't a way to help the Youswell people without breaking any laws or causing more trouble for them.

When Edward returned to the inn the next day, he found it burned to the ground. Yoki's men were seen sneaking around, but there's nothing the people could do about it—the slinky man had control over everything and would only bribe whoever came to help in order to keep their mouth shut.

Edward suggested they leave town and find a better place to live, but the man who owned the inn said something that weighed on the sibling's hearts: "The mines are our homes…and our graves."

Finally, they had a the motivation to help these people.

Ed and Al went back to Yoki with plenty of gold bars to send the guy into an early retirement. And in exchange for the gold bars they wanted the deed to the town. Yoki handed it over quickly and without much consideration, putting it on paper that the deed was handed over free of charge, so that no suspicion of the gold was mentioned.

Once that was said and done, they left Yoki's home to announce that they were the new owners of the mines and the town itself! This didn't settle well with the people because Ed mentioned that they were only passing through and it would be too much of a hassle to keep the deed. So, he wanted them to buy if off of them. But the price Edward wanted for the deed surprised the people—they were sure that he would ask for some large amount of money. Instead, Edward only asked that they get a room with two beds for the night and two meals.

Happily, they accepted!

The deal was said and done and the deed now handed over to the people to do with it as they wished. Everything would be better from there on out.

Not long after the deal was made, Yoki and his men came and demanded to know why the gold bars had turned to rock. Edward and Alanna denied everything, saying they had no idea what Yoki was talking about, knowing full well that they had turned the gold bars back into their original forms (clumps of dirt and rock) right after they had left Yoki's home. With no proof that the deed had anything to do with the Elric's, Yoki and his men where kicked out of town for good. But Edward didn't leave without making the promise to Yoki that he would report his corruption and incompetence to the higher-ups.

The town rejoiced, calling Edward and Alanna Elric the state Alchemists of he people. And that was the way Alchemists were _supposed_ to be seen.

. . .

The train ride back to central started just as exciting as any other for the Elric's: completely boring. Alanna usually remained awake, preferring to sleep in a bed rather than on a cushioned bench seat, while all snored peacefully in front of her. Everything was fine…until a man got up from his seat and point a gun at Alanna because she looked suspicious and dangerous in her hooded cloak. When Ed was abruptly woken from his nap by subconsciously hearing someone call him 'little', he knocked out the guards who were on their train car. When they 'interrogated' one of the guards they found out about Bald, the man in charge of this train abduction, and his plans. Ed went up on the roof to make his way to the engine car without hassle. Al stayed behind to deal with the guards on all of the other cars. (Once again proving that Al does all of the hard work.)

With a little help from the workers on the train, Ed and Al managed to recapture most of the locomotive. The only one that was left was the First Class car, where Bald was keeping his hostages, Captain Hakura and his family, at close range.

Edward, being as clever as he was, used the water in he train's second car in order to literally flush out the bad guys. Al was waiting on the other side of the door in order to apprehend them. Bald was the only one that didn't get flushed away, leaving him to face Edward head to head.

That's when they discovered that they had both been 'tricked into the military'. Edward was the bait, distracting the taller man. Alanna, quieter than a church mouse, came up behind Bald and knocked him on the head with her automail arm. The man went down and didn't bother getting up.

Alanna checked on the passengers while Ed tied up their new friend. The rest of the ride back to Central was boring and Ed managed to get in another nap before they arrived. Because of his battle with Bald, Edward had to ruin the last white glove he had, and therefore had to be careful about who seen is automail at Central. It was never good when people started asking un-needed questions.

Once at Central, Bald was escorted off the train with the rest of his men. The only problem was that he had a concealed knife in that automail arm of his. Al, not wanting to risk her brother's exposure, was about to jump into action, and so was Colonel Mustang's Lieutenant, Riza Hawkeye. But they were both stopped by the Colonel, and with just a snap of his fingers, flame ignited out of nowhere and burned Bald to a scrip.

Colonel Mustang was a man to be feared.

**. . .**

After the fun they had on the train, Edward made a clear point to Mustang that he couldn't look over.

"You know, Colonel, you owe me for this one," Edward said with a smirk.

Said Colonel tried to smile, but it came out more as a grimace. "Hearing you say that makes a chill run down my spine…" He sighed. "Alright, so what do you want?"

"You sure come right to the point," Ed said in a sing-song voice.

Alanna spoke up for her brother. "We need to know more about Bio-Alchemy. Where can we go for more information? Like a library or an expert?"

"Right _now_? You sure are in a hurry…" Despite his words, the Colonel got up from his dest and went to the bookshelf just behind him.

Ed was already annoyed with his superior. "Our arms and legs aren't going to grow back if we wait long enough!"

"It's been a while since we've seen each other… Why don't we have a cup of tea?" the Flame Alchemist suggested, pulling a book from the shelf and opening it up.

Ed slammed his first on the desk, glaring at the dark haired Colonel. "What's so fun about drinking tea with _you_?"

Roy ignored Ed's retort, looking through the book in his hands. "I know it's here somewhere… Ah! Here it is. 'Chimera: An artificial fusion created by Alchemically 'marrying' two genetically dissimilar life forms.' In other words, there's a Chimera researcher here in the city. Shou Tucker, the Sewing-Life Alchemist. He got his state certification two years ago when he created a Chimera that could speak."

Al's eyes widened as she brought her head up from its lazed position on her hand, having grown bored of listening to Mustang talk. Frankly, she always hated the droning on and on of the Flame Alchemists lectures, so she learned to tune him out. She's lucky her ears caught what they did before he was completely lost to her hearing.

Ed jumped to the edge of his seat. "It could speak? You mean it talked like a human? A _Chimera_?!"

Mustang nodded. "That would appear to be the case. I wasn't in charge at the time so I never actually seen it. It could understand human speech, and it spoke…only once." He lowered the book, looking over at the Elric's. "But all it said was, 'I want to die'."

The excitement immediately fell from the young Alchemists' faces.

He closed the book and put it back on the shelf, returning to his seat. "After that, it refused to eat and died not long after."

Roy watched the Elric's for a moment, the gears in their brilliant minds turning as they processed the outcome of Tucker's research. They would be walking a dangerous road, but a promise is a promise.

The Colonel stood from his seat. "Well, anyway, let's go meet him and see what kind of person he is."

Started at first, Al and Ed hesitated, figuring that the Colonel was bluffing. But when he was at the door and leaving the room, they followed hastily.

"S-So you're just going to show up at his house unannounced?" Edward asked, once they caught up to him.

Al tilted her head to the side, looking at the Colonel with a calculating gaze. "It seems as though our superior officer doesn't care about personal lives and choses to use people as he sees fit. Interesting…" Alanna put that information on a mental note for later.

Roy's brow twitched in annoyance. "No, of course I'm going to call ahead! I am not that kind of disrespecting man."

"And by 'you calling him', you mean you're going to have Riza do it," Alanna guessed, and she knew she was right when Roy flinched at her words. "That sounds like a very disrespecting man to me, don't you think, brother? And in which would prove that you only intend to use people for your own personal gain. Am I right, Colonel?"

Ed watched in amusement at the Colonel's discomfort toward his sister's accusations.

Alanna's calculations were always spot on, and she never missed a beat. Her face may be hidden behind her cloak most of the time, but she sees and hears all.

Soon enough, the Colonel was asking for the number to call Shou Tucker's home estate. When the lieutenant offered to make the call for him, he insisted that he do it, saying that it was a 'man to man' conversation. Riza was genuinely perplexed by his sudden sense of generosity, but she wasn't going to let it go to waste.

The ride to Shou Tucker's home was uneventful, to Alanna anyway. Roy made a comment to Ed, who in turn immediately became annoyed and threw comments back at him. Al made the point to Al that the Colonel was only poking his buttons in order to pass the time. That, of course, sent Edwards anger ablaze.

Upon arriving at Mr. Tucker's Ed was introduced rather suddenly to Alexander, the family dog, who got loose when Nina Tucker, Mr. Tucker's daughter opened the door. Al did nothing to help her poor brother, but found it funny that the dog didn't seem to care in the slightest.

Soon enough the three visitors were let inside. Nina was sent outside to entertain the dog—or 'beast' as Edward calls him— while Mr. Tucker entertained their guests.

"I apologize for the mess. It's been like this since my wife left me…" Mr. Tucker explained in a small voice, not necessarily looking for sympathy, but not receiving it from his guests, either.

Once in his seat across from the military officers, Roy introduced them.

"Mr. Tucker, I'm Colonel Roy Mustang. And this is Alanna and Edward Elric," Mustang said, point to himself and then gesturing to the siblings.

Edward glared at the Colonel. "We can introduce ourselves, you know."

"Don't pick a fight you can't finish, brother," Alanna warned with a pleading voice, not really wanting to hear an argument again.

Shou smiled lightly. "It's nice to meet you, Edward and Alanna. I'm Shou Tucker, the one they call 'The Sewing-Life Alchemist'."

"Edward is interested in biological Alchemy. I told him you might be able to show him your research."

"Oh, I don't mind…" Shou's smile dropped. "But if you want to see what's up my sleeve, you first have to show me what's up yours."

It was a kind way of saying 'an eye for an eye', or even asking for an Equivalent Exchange. Ed and Al knew that as they looked at each other, expressions blank.

The Colonel hesitated to approach Mr. Tucker's offer. "Um…well, you see—"

"It's okay, Colonel," Al interrupted, unfastening her cloak, letting it fall onto her chair. She slipped off her thin jacket, leaving her shoulders and arms exposed.

"Mr. Tucker has a right to an answer," Ed said flatly. He buttoned his shirt, showing Mr. Tucker both his flesh and automail arm.

Tucker leaned forward in his seat, eyes wide. "So…that's why they call you the Fullmetal Alchemist." He looked toward Ed, perplexed. "Then what is it, I wonder, they call you, Edward? Do you have an alias as well?"

Alanna had to hold back a laugh, though Mustang did nothing to hide his chuckle of amusement.

Edward fumed, but tried hard not to get mad at the man that was going to help him with his research to get their normal bodies back. An incident like that would only set them back in their progress.

"Although that is a common misconception, Mr. Tucker," Al started, patting her bother on the shoulder, "I'm not the Fullmetal Alchemist—Ed is. That would also make him the older brother."

"If you can believe that," Mustang retorted under his breath. Edward nearly jumped at his superior officer and would have too, if it weren't for Al's hand on his shoulder.

The Sewing-Life Alchemist smiled apologetically. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Ed. That's my mistake." Though he was sure he wasn't the only one who would have guessed that Alanna was the older of the two.

His attention went back to Alanna. "So then, if I'm not mistaken, you have an alias as well, Alanna?"

Al nodded.

"I'm curious—what is it?" he asked innocently enough, but Alanna was hesitant to tell.

Not many people asked about her alias; not many people knew about her secret. Was she ready to give it up? The only ones who knew were the Colonel, Hawkeye, Winry and Granny back home in Resembol, and obviously Edward.

With a nod of encouragement from Ed, and a look of concern from Mustang, Alanna took a deep breath and said, "They call me the Soundless Alchemist."

**. . .**

**Well, that's the end of this chapter! There will definitely be more coming up, so just hang in there. I hope you're liking the differences so far. And PLEASE let me know if I screwed something up. With the track record I have going for me, there a very high possibility that I'm fucked up somewhere…haha. **

**Find out why they call Alanna the "Soundless Alchemist"! I'm sure you could take a few guesses, but you might be surprised when you finally know. **

**Thanks so much for reading the story this far, and please keep and eye out for the next chapter!**

—**Romni**


	4. Chapter 4

**Well, I've had an AWESOME week… Note the sarcasm. I have the absolute worst luck with my flash drives, guys. I am seriously considering that I have some sort of condition for losing this shit! I had at LEAST four un-posted chapters ready and waiting. Now I had to re-type them from memory… OMG, someone shoot me. It took me WEEKS to get what I had saved! I could seriously cry right now, that's how frustrated I am. I spent most of my day looking for that damned thing and couldn't find it anywhere!**

**Anyway, enough of my self-loathing.**

**Here's what I got for you in the next chapter. It isn't what I had originally typed, but it's better than nothing.**

**Enjoy!**

**. . .**

A look of interest crossed Tucker's face. "Hmm. Interesting. I have heard the name before, of course, but I had never put together that you would be the younger sibling of the Fullmetal Alchemist."

A kind of pride struck Edward, and he gloated to the Flame Alchemist who only rolled his eyes.

Al shrugged.

"The 'Soundless Alchemist'," Tucker repeated to himself, deep in thought. "What does your alias entail, I wonder?"

This time Alanna didn't look to Ed for any sign that she shouldn't answer his question. He made the point to Mustang already: their host has a right to know.

"Despite what most people believe, I don't hear as well as everyone else. As part of…the toll for what my brother and I did that night, I lost my ability to hear."

Tucker's eyes widened. "Oh… I never would have thought…"

"I'm sure you wouldn't have." She smiled lightly. "I read lips, so it's not hard for me to communicate."

"And I can assume that very few people know about your automail limps?"

Al and Ed both nodded. "We tend to keep them hidden so as not to attack attention to ourselves."

"Not that being the two youngest State Alchemists doesn't already do that for you…" the Colonel mumbled under his breath.

Edward glared at his superior.

"Mr. Tucker, can I ask you something?" Alanna said out of the blue.

Shou nodded, letting her continue.

Al, in all her seriousness, looked the Sewing-Life Alchemist in the eye and said, "How much would you guess a soul would cost?"

He raised a brow. "A soul?"

From there, the girl went on to explain what had happened that night, and why they were living the way they are now. She gave him the short version, of course. Sparing him any boring details.

Shou folded his hands overtop one another. "I see… So you lost your mother. That must have been hard; you were so young."

To that, Ed and Al said nothing.

"I've told my superiors that they lost their limps in the Civil War in the East. I must ask that you keep quiet about their attempt at human transmutation, Mr. Tucker," the Colonel said with a hint of warning in his voice. The last thing he wanted was for the news of Ed and Al's true meaning behind their automail dropped in on Central.

"Sure. No problem. I'm sure the military couldn't afford to lose such brilliant individuals." He stood from his seat. "Well, let me show you my laboratory."

The siblings and Colonel Mustang followed the Sewing-Life Alchemist around his home. the hallways were long and wide, with many doors lining each on of them. And with two floors, Ed and Al could only guess what he needed such a big estate for.

The lab was something they weren't expecting. It was full of…what they could only assume were experiments. All of them, they knew, were different versions of Chimeras. Some shadowed closely the features of certain species, such as a lion or a small primate. Most of them were in the relation of lizards, apes, and bears. But all of them didn't actually look like the animals they originally were.

As soon as he showed them the file room, Edward and Alanna were taken aback by the amount of books and articles there were. They wondered around the room for a minute, gawking at the tall shelves and filing cabinets before they settled down and each picked up a book. Mustang said that he could send them a car to come get them later that night, but the siblings were too engrossed in their studies to hear.

Their days for the next week or so continued like that. The two young Alchemists would knock on Shou Tucker's door, Nina would usually be the one to let them in (Edward would always battle Alexander for sitting on him), they would study for hours, reading book after book, and then end the day with entertaining Nina for they went back to their apartment to start all over again.

One day while in the file room looking through data, Nina joined them, saying that she was bored and was going to wait for them to play with her. She played with Alexander's fur for a while—the dog had surprising left Edward alone for the time being. Alanna kept casting glances at Nina. There was something about this girl…something that Alanna wasn't sure was a good feeling or a bad one.

The female Alchemist put her stapled stack of papers off to the side. "So, Nina, your mother left you and your father?" she asked out of nowhere.

Nina nodded, leaning against Alexander's large body. "Uh-huh. Daddy said she went back to her parents' house."

"Really? it must be lonely living in a big house like this with just the two of you."

"Nope! Not at all! I have Alexander, and Daddy is nice to me, too!" The smile that had brightened her face just a moment ago dropped, and she slowly ran her hand on the top of her dog's head. "But…lately Daddy's always in his laboratory with the door locked… So it is a _little_ lonely…"

Alanna looked over at her brother, who, from over the top of the book he was reading, was looking at Nina with sad eyes that held understanding of losing a parent.

Alanna went back to having little conversations with Nina there on the floor. She tried to keep her smiling, asking her what she was doing in school and how many games she knew how to play. Edward went back to reading. He could easily block out their talking back and forth, but what was on his mind now was Nina, and it was hard for him to stay focused.

Finally, after a few long minutes of failed attempts at getting back to the books, Edward halted in his studies as well. He stretched, causing his neck and shoulder to crack.

"Ahh, man… All this reading is making my shoulders cramp up, day after day…"

Alanna picked up on Ed's subtle attempt at a distraction. "Exercise is the best cure for shoulder cramps, brother."

Edward stood and stretched out his back. "You're right, Al. I'll got work out a little in the yard." Suddenly, he point at Alexander. "Hey, dog! I'll play with you for exercise!"

Her brother's look may have been menacing, but Alanna knew his intentions were pure.

Alanna stood and motioned for Nina to do the same. "Come on. You too, Nina."

The little girl giggled, happy that she finally got to play with her new big brother and big sister.

**. . .**

The next day, the clouds loomed over the city, casting the morning into darkness.

Alanna walked up the door and rang the bell, fully expecting to see Nina already waiting there for them, just as she did every day.

Ed looked up at the cloud-covered sky. "It's gonna rain for sure today."

There was a pause, and no one came to the door.

Curious, Al opened the door and peeked her head in. "Mr. Tucker? It's us again."

From inside there was complete darkness, and not a sound came from the long halls.

Al and Ed let themselves in with caution so as not to show disrespect to the man allowing them access to his research. They started dow toward the kitchen, expecting to see Mr. Tucker there making his morning coffee. But he wasn't. Next they tried the main loge, where they thought they might find Alexander sleeping in his bed near the window. But the dog wasn't there.

The siblings walked the empty hallways, slightly unnerved by how dark it was down the hallways. "Mr. Tucker?" Alanna called out, not too worried about respect anymore.

"Maybe their not home," Ed suggested, glancing down the adjacent hallways as they went.

"He would have said something, don't you think? Or left a note, or something?" She called out again, this time calling for the man's daughter. "Nina?"

They went to his file room—they started calling it 'the library', because thats what the room really reminded them of.

"Mr. Tucker?"

The lab was empty, as well.

"Nina? Alexander!"

They were running out of rooms to check. Alanna was growing increasingly worried. What was going on?

The light from the hall shown into a room they had never been in before, and a figure in the doorway caught Edward's eye. He turned and glanced inside.

"Oh. Hey, there you are," Edward said as he approached the room.

Alanna let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding. "We were looking everywhere for you, Mr. Tucker. I hope you don't mind that we let ourselves in."

Tucker, who's back was to them, turned with a huge grin on his face. "Oh, it's you two. Come in. Look. It's my newest creation."

When he motioned to what was hunched over on the ground, the siblings couldn't help but look at the creature before them.

"It's a Chimera that talks like a human," Tucker announced proudly. "Watch this."

He looked down at the Chimera. The creature in turn looked up at Tucker, as if it knew he was going to speak. "These people—" Tucker motioned to the pair behind him "—are Edward and Alanna."

There was a moment of silence, and the siblings waited patiently for the Chimera to speak. Finally, it said, _"__Ed__…__? Al__…__?__"_

"That's right. Very good," Tucker praised the creature.

"_Veh__…__ry__…__good?__"_ it mimicked, as if trying to understand.

Edward knelt in front of the creature, amazed by what he was hearing. "I can't believe it really talks."

Tucker let off a sigh of relief. "I'm glad that I made it in time for assessment." he began pacing the room. "This just my neck. And when the grant money kicks in, I won't have to worry about research money for a while…!"

Alanna approached the creature as well, leaving Tucker to his rant about financial worries. _"__Ed__…__Ed__…__ward__…"_ the Chimera said, looking directly at Edward.

"Amazing," the Fullmetla Alchemist said. "It knows who is who."

Alanna smiled gently at the Chimera. "That's right! He's Edward and I'm Alanna. A-lan-na."

The animal hybrid tilted it's large head to the side slightly and repeated her name. _"__A__…__lannah__…__?_ _Alanna__…"_ Al's smile grew and she watched the interest in her brothers face spark a fire in his eyes. _"__Big__…__sis__…__ter__…__?__"_

Edward's expression quickly turned to that of shock. Dread dropped hard into Alanna's heart like an anvil. There was only one person who called Alanna 'big sister'…

_No__… _Alanna though to herself, trying to piece together what was really happening. _This isn__'__t really__…__?_

"Mr. Tucker," Edward said, not taking his eyes off the Chimera. "When was it that you got your license? By making the Chimera that spoke human words?"

Tucker thought for a moment, his hand on his chin. "Uh…that was two years ago."

"And when did you wife leave?"

This time, Tucker hesitated answering. "That was two years ago, too."

"I see." Edward, with his gloved hand, stroked the Chimera's face with care. "Can I ask you one more question?" Without giving the man a chance to answer, Edward turned to him with a fierce look in his eyes. "What happened to Nina and Alexander?!"

Tucker's expression didn't change, as if he wasn't caught off guard by Edward's question at all. "I hate perceptive brats like you…"

Something in Alanna snapped; she couldn't take it anymore. In the blink of an eye, she was on her feet and across the room before Edward could do a thing about it. Her cloak whipped around her as she moved. The material had just settled around her body again when her fist full of Tucker's shirt was was holding him up against the wall.

"Alanna!"

"So that's what happened, huh?" Al said, her voice scary like a pending doom. She completely ignored her brother. "Two years ago it was your wife. This time you made a Chimera out of your own daughter and a dog!"

"Al, stop!" Edward tried to pry his sister from the man. That only resulted in Alanna using her automail strength to push him half way across the room.

"You scum!" she all but screamed at the pitiful man before her. "How could you?! She's your little girl—you were all she had left and this is how you show her you care?!"

Her grip on his shirt tightened. She was livid—it was like she was a completely different person.

Edward looked down at the Chimera. The once little girl looked down at the floor. His heart ached with the truth.

Alanna took him away from the wall for just s second before slamming him back against it, getting him to look her in the eye. "I bet I know why you did it, too. Because there's only so much you can do with _animals_; because humans are so much better, _am I right_?"

This time, she waited for him to speak. He groaned, his head began to throb from hitting his head against the wall. "Why are you so mad?" he asked the Soundless Alchemist. "The progress of medicine…the progress of human knowledge…is the result of experimenting on human. Someone has to do it, as a scientist…" She swallowed, though it was difficult with the pressure she was putting on his throat. "You should be the first to…"

She growled, her teeth ground hard together. "Shut up! Bastard!" Again, she shook him and he hit the wall, this time harder. "Do you think you're going to get away with this? Playing around with _people__'__s lives_?!"

"'People's lives'?" Tucker repeated mockingly. "Yes, people's lives!" He looked over at Edward, standing just a few paces behind Alanna. "You're the Fullmetal Alchemist!" His eyes were back on Alanna. "And what about your mother's life…and your body that was taken from you? That's also the result of 'playing around with people's lives', yes?"

Without thinking, Alanna's other fist, the automail one, came back and struck Tucker across the face with a left hook that would have impressed any man. His glasses flew off his face from the impact, and a squirt of blood came from Tucker's lips.

Alanna huffed with adrenaline, still holding the man up against the wall. He chuckled. "You and I are just the same!" he said, knowing that he truck a nerve.

"That's not true!" she growled up between her teeth.

"You're no different than I am! You thought you could do it, so you did!"

"That's not true!" She shook him again. Why wouldn't he just shut up?!

"You couldn't help but try it even if it _was_ forbidden! In fact, _because_ it's forbidden!"

**WHAM **Again, her metal fist came across his face.

She screamed in frustration. "That's not true!"

**WHAM**

"We Alchemists…"

**WHAM**

"Would never do that…"

**WHAM**

"We'd never…"

**WHAM**

"I'd never!"

She was about to hit him again—hit him until he stopped smiling, until he realized what he'd really done to his daughter. Hitting him was making the pain in her chest go away—even just for a second. But her arm was caught by her brother, the strength from his own metal arm keeping her from teaching this man a lesson.

"Sister. Any more and you'll kill him."

The meaningfulness in his voice was what really kept her from pulling out of his grip. He rarely ever addressed her as 'sister'.

Alanna huffed, exhausted from the action, frustration and anger behind the reason for hitting Tucker. There was moment that she actually forgot when she was doing it. But her brother brought her back to reality—not that she liked it any.

Al released her hold on Shou and he slumped to the floor, sliding down the wall. Without a second glance, she turned her back on him. She walked up to the Chimera—the new, different Nina—and crouched in front of her. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around Nina's now much longer neck and hugged her gently.

"I'm sorry, Nina…"

The hybrid girl looked up at Alanna when she pulled away and watched the Alchemist stand and start out the door. Then she opened her mouth to speak: _"__Big__…__sister__… __Wanna__…__play__…"_

Al halted in her step, a tremor of anger and pain raked through her body, and it took everything in her not to turn her anger on Tucker again. And damn did she want to. But she instead stormed out of the room, not wanting to do something else she might regret.

The Sewing-Life Alchemist chuckled, spitting out a bit of blood in his mouth. "Pretty words don't get anything done… Isn't that right, Edward?"

Ed, having bent down to pet Nina on the head once before leaving himself, had his back to Tucker.

"Mr. Tucker…" He turned only his head, and a menacing glare that matched the one from earlier showed him his face. "If you say one more word, this time I'll be the one to snap." He voice was eerily calm, but the force behind it was frightening.

Tucker gulped back his words and said nothing, fearful of what pain the Fullmetal Alchemist was capable of inflicting.

And with that, the siblings were gone.

**. . .**

That night, Edward didn't fall asleep right away. Alanna was always fast asleep by time her head hit the pillow.

Alanna cried as soon as they were alone in their apartment. All Edward could do was let her sob her his shoulder. Saying something like "It's okay" and "Everything will be fine" wouldn't have been necessarily true, and the last thing he wanted was to lie to his sister. So he just patted her back and let her cry.

She would never show such weakness in front of anyone but her brother—and maybe the friends they had back home. Her heart wept for Nina. I little girl and her dog turned into a creature that barely understood human words, that was probably going to be carted off into some other lab and tortured for as long as she lived.

Having exhausted herself mentally and physically, Alanna was asleep before Edward came back into the room with a glass of water. He wasn't so lucky. It took about 20 minutes before his mind was at ease enough for him to fall asleep. But his dreams that night weren't something to be desired.

The dream was of their mother, Trisha. She, as always, an armful of some kind of fruit or vegetable from the garden wrapped in her apron; this time it was tomatoes. Young Edward—age 11—ran up to her, holding a figure he had fixed with Alchemy. He was so proud of his work, surely it would get her to smile.

And she did. Except…it was different. It wasn't the kind, loving smile she showed him when he would use Alchemy to create something. This smile was…sinister. It wasn't the smile Edward looked forward too every day.

"_Too bad you couldn__'__t fix me__…"_ she said in a voice that wasn't hers, and the next thing Edward sees is his mother covered in blood, eyes dead and emotionless…

Edward snapped up in bed, awaking from the nightmare with a start. He was panting hard from…what? From realizing that he couldn't fix what happened to Nina, just like he couldn't fix his mother. His un-braided hair was a mess and stuck to his face, which was coated in sweat. His mind was racing, trying to forget what he had just seen, trying to get away even just for a moment. But there was no escape from reality—not really.

Alanna, who Ed hadn't realized had woken up, appeared at his bedside. "Brother?" She sat on the edge of his bed and placed her hand on his shoulder for comfort from whatever he had just experienced.

"Al." He blinked a few times. "I…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you…"

Al only nodded, saying it was okay. And she sat there. Waiting.

Ed and his sister sat there in silence, the only sound coming from the rain gently tapping against the window. For a few minutes, they said and did nothing. Then, Ed's emotions caught up with him, and the pain of it all hit him like a brick wall.

He clenched to his leg and pulled it closer to his chest. His sister wrapped her arm around his shoulder, deepening her attempt at comforting her older brother.

"Al…"

Alanna's hand tightened on Ed's shoulder—his automail one. She knew then what he had experienced—she knew what his dream was about. Because she had just woken from the same one. She leaned her forehead against his flesh shoulder.

"It hurts, Al… It hurts."

"I know, Brother."

**. . .**

**Well, that's what I've got for you. Wiped it up in about a day's time, so if it seems rushed, I'm sorry. I was trying to remember what I had written before. I think I got most of what I had, so I hope you like it. **

**Thanks for sticking with me. Keep in touch for the next one!**

—**Romni**


	5. Chapter 5

**There's going to be a little bit of jumping back and forth, both following the Elrics and not. But I need to get important parts in the story so things can be easily explained later on. So, bare with me here.**

**Enjoy!**

**. . .**

The next day, the siblings were still a little off balance. Alanna had woken up late—she usually never sleeps in—and Edward didn't bother looking presentable by buttoning his jacket as per usual. It seemed as though after what Tucker did, his faith in Alchemy has…slipped somewhat.

They went to the Colonel's office early, expecting to get an idea of what would happen to Tucker now that the military found out what he had done both to his wife and now his daughter. Hawkeye had to be the one to inform the siblings that Nina and Tucker were both dead. Or, more accurately, they were murdered.

When they asked to go with her, she told them no. Because it would be better if they didn't see. And she was right. They didn't really want to see what their bodies looked like. What was the point if they were already dead? 

**. . .**

"Hey, hey, Colonel Mustang," Lieutenant Colonel Hughes said, glancing down at the dead body with a sheet draped over it. "We came to get Tucker alive…" Still crouched on the ground, he turned to the Colonel and said, "Are you telling us to put this corpse on trial? Man, we didn't come all the way out here from Central City to do an autopsy."

He and Major Armstrong were there with the investigation team to get the man responsible for turning a human girl into a Chimera. Clearly, plans had changed over night.

The Colonel groaned, rubbing his forehead due to his growing headache. "Hughes…you don't have to remind us of our mistake. Please just take a look."

The man complied and lift the drape so he and the Major could peer underneath. "Ew…" He said at first, wincing at the sight before him. "Just as I thought."

The turned back to the Colonel, still holding the drape. "Did the Guards outside die the same way?"

The Flame Alchemist folded his arms over his chest. "Yes, that's right. It was as if they were blown apart from the inside out."

Hughes stood and released the drape, wiping his hands on a cloth. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Major Armstrong?"

The taller man nodded. "Yes, there's no doubt about it—it's him."

From there they told them all they knew about the other killings just like this one; about a man they've been calling "Scar".All of the murder cases that turned up the exact same revolved around this guy.

"We don't know his name, so that's what we call him," Hughes explained.

"Not only is his background a mystery," the Major continued, "but we don't even know what kind of weapon he uses or what his intentions are. It seems like he's everywhere. The only information we've received about him is that he has a large X-shaped scar on his forehead."

Hughes went on: "This year alone he's killed five Alchemists in Central; in the Country he's killed a total of ten."

The Colonel's facial expression turned grim. "Yes, we've heard the rumors out here in the east as well."

Hughes pushed up his glasses and lowered his voice. "Just between you and me…I heard that he even killed old man Grand."

Mustang's mouth fell open in shock, his brows kitted together. "Brigadier General Grand, the "Iron-Blooded Alchemist"? He's the martial arts expert!"

Hughes nodded in dismay. "It might sound crazy but believe it or not there is a guy this tough roaming the city. Let me give you some advice: double the security staff and lay low for a while. I'm asking you this as a friend."

Mustang agreed and rested his hand on his chin in thought. How could someone kill a military man as though was the Brigadier General? They lapsed in silence for a moment.

Then: "But, hey, the only well know people here in the East are Tucker and you, right? With what happened to Tucker, you really can't let down your guard," Hughes said with a hint of worry in his voice.

Realization at what Hughes just said came across Mustang's face. Him and Tucker _weren't_ the only well known Alchemists in town! There were two more here, and they could potentially be targets as well. "Oh no…"

"Huh? Hey, what is it?" But Hughes was ignored.

Roy snapped around to his nearest officer. "You! Confirm whether the Elrics are still at their lodgings. On the double!"

Riza Hawkeye, who had just walked in, overheard the Colonel. "Oh, Colonel. I spoke to them as I was leaving HQ. They were walking down the main street."

"At a time like this…?" The Colonel scuffed, annoyed that he had to go looking for them now. "Bring the car around! All spare hands report to the main street area!"

**. . .**

The Elrics were sitting under the clock town that marked the center of the main street area. They didn't really have a destination and decided to stop there. It was raining relentlessly, but they didn't care.

Edward's hair clung to his face, and his clothes had grown heavy. Alanna's cloak hugged her tightly due to the added weight of the rain. But she didn't care at that point. They were going to wallow in the self-pity until someone came looking for them.

"Brother…?" Alanna said after a long few minutes of silence.

Edward, as if woken from a trance, looked over at his sister for a moment, and then back at the ground at his feet. "Huh? Oh…sorry, Al. My head is just so full that I don't know what to think right now."

She nodded, understanding what he meant.

"Since last night I've been wondering what this Alchemy that we trust really is…"

From her brother she looked down at the ground, and then at the grey sky, letting the rain hit her face. "'Alchemy is the reconstruction of matter in new forms based on the knowledge of natural laws'," she began to quote. "'This world flows by obeying these laws. Death, too, is a part of that flow.'"

"'Accept the flow of the world'," Edward finished.

"Our Teacher really beat that into us," Alanna comment with the smallest of chuckles, but the smile quickly disappeared.

Ed nodded. He thought about Nina playing with Alexander in the yard, a huge smile on her face as he licked her cheek.

"And that's why I'm wondering what I can do about something that nobody can fix." He sighed heavily, tilting his head up with his eyes closed. "I'm a fool. I haven't grown since then. I thought that the rain would wash away all our doubt…but all I know is that this rain on my face is starting to bug me…"

Alanna lifted her left hand to the rain. She tried to capture the moisture by slightly cupping her hand, but it slipped right past the metal plates.

"You're lucky, brother. The toll we paid didn't take most of your body. You still have over half go your original body still attached, while I'm left with a barely functioning 45%. That toll took more than just my limbs but my hearing as well, and I don't feel myself half the time." She clenched her hand into a fist and brought it down to her knee left knee with a soft clank. "I want to get my old body back; I want to go back to being_ human_. Even if that means doing the impossible and going against the flow of the world."

Suddenly, amongst the random people dashing through the ran toward shelter, a man in a military uniform called out and approached them. "Edward! Mr. Edward Elric!" He came up to them panting slightly. "Oh, I'm so glad you're alright! We've been looking everywhere for you!"

Edward stood, and Alanna followed his lead. "What is it? Do you need us for something?"

"You are to return to headquarters. Immediately," the man said sternly. "There's a killer on the loose in this area…"

Alanna noticed a figure standing directly behind the man, and he seemed to tower over him.

"Edward Elric…the Fullmetal Alchemist!" The man's voice was rough and angry, and it instantly sent a shivery down Edward's spine.

The man in the military uniform that came looking for the siblings turned and got one look at the man's face. His expression immediately darkened. "That scar!"

He reached for his gun and barely got his hand on the butt when the mystery man lunged for him, his hand extended out toward the guy's face. As soon as his hand made contact, the guy's body exploded from the inside out, sending blood in several different directions. His lifeless body fell to the ground in a heap.

Ed and Al could only stare and watch as the event before them unfolded. A crowd started to bother around them, people stopping to see what had just happened.

Alanna made a sweeping motion with her arm, telling them to move on. "Get out of here! Run for cover, hurry!"

As she got the people to move a long, with worried glancing and faces full of panic, Edward faced the man as he stood again to his full height. His eyes were wide with fear as the man flicked his hand, sending a drop of blood at Edward's cheek.

_Who is this guy?!_ Edward though to himself. _This is bad—bad! Very bad! Everything from my core of my body says to run away but my legs won't move…!_

Alanna finished with the by-standers and turned to see the man now walking toward her brother. Thinking on her feet, she ran at them and put herself between the two.

"Edward! Move!"

She clapped her hands together and pressed them firmly to the ground. It cracked and broke apart under the man's feet, sending him off balance.

The moment the ground cracked and distracted the man, Alanna pushed her brother into motion—literally. The both of them sprinted off in another direction down the street—as far from there as their legs could carry them.

"You won't get away!" he called after them, and the chase began.

They started passing building and small alleyways, everything becoming a blur as they tried to lose this killer.

"What's his problem?!" Edward asked, his mind focused on getting the hell out of there. "I've never done anything to make someone hate me…!"

Alanna looked at her brother knowingly, her brow raised in an accusing way.

"Alright, fine, I've done that a lot… But I don't actually deserve to die!"

To that, Alanna agreed with him 100%. Her brother was reckless and annoying at times, and he could easily piss off the calmest before in the world. But no one deserves that kind of death.

Alanna quickly ducked down an alley. "Ed, in the alley!"

He followed, picking up speed again as soon as he turned the corner. But he stopped short when he saw that his sister wasn't right behind him. She was standing at the entrance.

"What are you doing?! He saw us go in here!"

"Just watch!" she commanded and clapped her hands together, against forcing them to the ground. This time, however, a huge wall formed in front of her, completely blocking the entrance to the alley. It scaled up half the buildings on either side of it, making to way too tall for anyone to climb over.

"Good thinking, Al!" Ed praised, looking up at the wall.

She smiled, a small amount of pride coursed through her hearing her brother's approval. "Now he can't come after us. There's no way he's getting…over…" Her sentence died off short when a large crack formed in the middle of the wall.

**BAM**

A giant hole burst through the wall, and on the other side was the man with an X-shaped scar on his forehead, with only his hand extended out through the only thing that kept them divided. The man glared at them through his tinted glasses.

He stepped through the hole. Panicked, the two young Alchemists turned-tail and ran deeper into the alleyway. But they didn't get far. The scar man placed his hand on the wall beside him. the side of the building crumbled and collapsed right in front of the Elrics, nearly crushing them.

Now they had no choice. They were forced to face him head on.

"Who the hell are you?!" Edward asked, hoping that questioning them would buy some time to think of a way out of this. "Why are you after us?"

In stead of directly answering the question, the man said, "There are those who create…and those who destroy."

Annoyed that he didn't answer is question, Ed clapped his hands together and reached for the pipe sticking out of the wall next to him. The piece of metal became a long double-edged blade, and he held it with every intent to use it.

"I guess we don't have a choice, Al," Ed said holding his weapon at the ready.

His sister beside him took a fighting stance, her hands at the ready. Her forte fighting style was always hand-to-hand combat. And she was much better at it than her brother.

"Here we go!"

Together, they charged at their attacker. But hither of them were ready for what was about to happen next.

A sinister smile came to the man's lips—the man who's name they had yet to learn. "You're not afraid…"

Then he charged them head on as well, meeting them half way. Ed and Al suddenly split and Ed flanked the man on his left, Al the right. Ed swung his sword-like weapon at the same time Al swung her metal arm at the man.

"But you're slow!"

He dodged around Ed's attack and harshly shoved him to the side, knocking him into the wall. Then he quickly turned his attack on Al expecting to tack her off guard. But she blocked his attack easily, predicting his moves. She knew better than to let him get a hold on her, so she chopped at his hand, and because she used her flash arm, it wasn't as effective if she had used her left.

Surprised, the man took a step back and went in for his second attack, which Al was also ready for. He went for her head and she quickly side-stepped that attack, but what she wasn't expecting was his other hand catching her by her side.

A surge of electricity shot through her side and in the blink of an eye—just like the hole in the wall she made—part of her ab-automail was gone.

The momentum of her movements sent her straight to the ground. She caught herself with her hands, but the impact from hitting the ground so suddenly caused her to bite the inside of her cheek. The taste of blood in her mouth made her sick.

"Al! You son of a—!" Ed poised his weapon of choice, ready to fight, and charged the man, hoping to take him by surprise.

The man turned and met Edward head on. In the midst of their clash, Edward lost grip on his sword as a surge shot through his arm. He was thrown by the impact and sent to the ground, just as Al was.

The Fullmetal Alchemist groaned in pain as he sat up. "Damn! You are really starting to piss me off!" Annoyed and frustrated, Ed stood up and threw away his coat, revealing his metal arm.

"Automail," the man announced. "It's no wonder my body-disrupting attack had no effect." He glanced over at Al, who was struggling to keep the top half of her body off the ground. "And _her_… I was planning to strip her of that nuisance-causing cloak to destroy her. She was just lucky enough to not have a true body in that particular spot." He looked away from her, as if in disgust. "Or rather, _unlucky_."

Alanna let out a kind of growl of pure hatred. "I'll show you unlucky!" Keeping her body propped up on her right elbow, she clapped her hands together to preform a transmutation. But she couldn't. The man was there, his speed quick and thorough. He took her by her automail arm and before she could process what was happening, her arm was gone, shattered into hundreds of pieces.

Her eyes widened more from shock rather than pain. She didn't feel any pain. How could she? It was a prosthetic limb. But no one had even beaten her so low with suck little effort. She was disappointed in herself for letting someone beat her like this. It was a disgrace.

"Alright, I've had enough of you," Edward ground out between clenched teeth. Seeing his sister's arm in pieces really got to him. He swore to protect her for as far as they got in their goal. And he would _no matter what_.

The man with the scar turned his back on Alanna as she lay in the rain, the smallest of pieces of her automail scattered around her. "You're a strange pair. And this is taking longer than I thought…"

"Don't think I'm going to follow your schedule!" Ed transmuted his arm into a long dagger.

"No, Ed…! You have to run…" Alanna groaned, the flesh part of her body sore from being tossed around on the ground.

"Don't be stupid!" he yelled to his sister. "I'm not leaving without you!"

The two of them squared off, for a moment. The only thing Edward could hear was his heartbeat and the rain that beat down on him. The killer before him looked at Edward's automail arm.

"Hm… You create a transmutation circle by putting your hands together…and then use the power that flows between them."

Edward, tired of his stalling, charged the man yet again, a cry of frustration leaving his lips.

"Well then…" The guy caught Edward's arm with complete ease, unafraid of the potential danger. "I'll start with your arm. Allow me to destroy it." Another surge of electrical power coursed through the air for a moment.

And in the blink of an eye, Edward's right arm was gone, as well.

**. . .**

**Yeah, going to have to end it here…**

**Just kidding XD**

**Here's the rest of it!**

**. . .**

Edward collapsed to his knees in defeat, the only arm he had left supporting his weight as he hunched forward. The stared down at what was once his automail arm, the arm that served him well for the last few years. How could it have failed him now?

"I'll give you a moment to pray," the murderer said almost mercilessly.

After a moment, Ed said, "Sorry to disappoint you, but there's no God that I feel like praying to. He looked up the man standing over him, and then at Al.

_No matter what._

"Am I the only one you're after? My younger sister, Alanna… Are you going to kill her, too?"

The man followed Ed's gaze to the girl who lay helplessly on the ground. Whe she caught him looking at her, she glared at him with all of her anger. If she still had her arm, she'd gotten Ed way from him by now.

The man set his eyes back on Edward. "If anyone gets in my way I will eliminate them…but right now I only have business with you, the Fullmetal Alchemist."

Edward looked away from Alanna and back to the ground. "Alright then, promise me. Promise you won't touch my sister."

Alanna's eyes widened, realizing what her stupid brother was doing. "Ed…don't…"

"I promise," the man said, though there was no telling if he would actually keep his promise.

And he took a step closer to Edward.

"What are you doing?!"Alanna demanded. She got up on her elbow, but couldn't move any closer. She was powerless to stop him. "Get up—run!"

Ed ignored his sister's pleas, which became more frantic as the man grew closer to him.

"You have a promise to keep to me, too, stupid! Are you just going to turn your back on me? Edward!"

Edward still said and did nothing.

_No matter what._

If her own brother wasn't going to listen to her, then she would try to reason with a killer. Although, even that sounded hopeless.

"Please, don't do this… Don't kill him…" she begged. She was on the verge of sobbing now, feeling helpless in her current state. She didn't want to watch her brother die. "Please, don't kill him. He's…He's annoying and loud and arrogant but… Damn it! He's more only family—he's all I have left!"

_Swore to protect her…no matter what…_

"NOOO!"

Her cry of desperation pierced the cold damp air, almost cutting through it like a knife through butter, as the man you was capable of murder reached closer and was only inches from her brother's head…

**. . .**

**Okay, now I really do have to end it there. Haha.**

**I think the other version I had was slightly longer, but it's better than nothing, right? I hope you liked it. I'm putting in all of my free time into trying to the chapters I had back, so…**_**appreciate**_**!**

**Keep in touch for the next updates. And, as always, let me know if I've made noticeable mistakes anywhere. I'd appreciate the help. (:**

**Thanks!**

—**Romni**


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